A Conversation to Drive Urgent Change Against Fast-Fashion from the Streets of Hoi An, Vietnam.

Having
spent the best part of (almost) 10 years working amid the fashion industry,
I’ve been fortunate to work alongside some incredible teams whilst being
exposed to the many facets of this industry. From international wholesale
sales, to the other side of the trajectory – buying, production planning and
design, to experiencing the hard slog on the shop floor with small business
owners who are forever challenged by the price-conscious customer. Too often,
across each of these levels of the supply chain, there is a conversation not
being had. And that is, ‘who made my clothes’?

This past
week we visited Hoi An; a stunning ancient town, cut through with canals on
Vietnam’s central coast. It’s a labyrinth of streets bustling with tailors and
leather craftsmen (and women) at the ready, to make anyone and everyone their
next best pair of leather shoes, accessories, and/or ‘custom-made’ outfit.

On home soil, $100 AUD wouldn’t nearly cover the meterage of a quality fabric required for an item of clothing of this size or complexity. So, why should it here?

As you
brush past the many store fronts, which are brimming with the exact stock from
one to the next, the sales associates pull you in to sell their services. For
near to less than the cost of a modest 3-course meal in Australia, you can wear
the hat of ‘designer’ and have a skilled tradesman turn around a tailor-made
suit for example, in less than a day’s work.

Now, obviously there is a sizeable difference in currency exchange and other economical factors between western countries and Asia, but with much regard to this, as well the unique experience of having a garment custom-made being a lengthy art form not to be taken lightly, there seems something very wrong with the maths here. On home soil, $100 AUD wouldn’t nearly cover the meterage of a quality fabric required for an item of clothing of this size or complexity. So, why should it here?

To dig a little deeper, tailoring, in its traditional sense is an artisanal trade that takes years to master. Rightfully, the process of having a suit made, either bespoke or made-to-measure, is an extended practice that requires weeks to months to realise. However, throughout the streets of Hoi An, as beautiful as this city is, I struggle to fathom how a garment pulled together in few hours is deemed ‘unique’ and ‘of quality’? Indeed, tourism supports small business and this presents an otherwise accessible experience for some, though at what true cost to others?

Let’s
consider $100 for a moment. In Australia the minimum wage is $18.93 p/hour
(business.gov.au) and therefore this value can be achieved with 5.5 hours’ of
labour in safe working conditions. Let’s also consider that the supply chain of
a single garment is incredibly complex. Be it a 3-piece suit or the most basic of
tank tops; more or less, the many stages (and hands) in which an item is passed
from conception through to end-purchase is relatively the same. From the field
workers and farmers sewing and harvesting crop or shearing stock (even affording
to water the land and feed the stock), to the spinners and millers, the textile
designers and garment dyers, the factory workers, design managers, planners, pattern
makers, cutters, QA, buyers, the sales force, the landlord; and the many, many
freight forwarders required to ensure this process is carried out like
clockwork. Everyone wants a cut. A mere $100 (if that), unfairly distributed
between an infinite of human hands, grinding for hours each day and trying
their utmost best to earn a living. Let alone, to sustain one.

It’s a dangerous cycle in which we – educated consumers, contribute to each time we demand ‘new’, ‘more’, ‘low cost’ and ‘now’.

For the
Vietnamese ‘tailoring’ experience, this distribution channel is perhaps long
winded, for a single tailor is skilled to perform several tasks. Though the minimum
wage in Vietnam is higher and production facilities more strictly regulated
than the likes of less developed nations; what is not too dissimilar throughout
the off-shore supply chain, is the lack of transparency which occurs behind the
sales desk. Poor working conditions and exploitation of staff, inadequate safety
and compliance, exposure to toxic chemicals, polluted waterways. The list goes
on. It’s a dangerous cycle in which we – educated consumers, contribute to each
time we demand ‘new’, ‘more’, ‘low cost’ and ‘now’.

It’s a multi billion-dollar industry driven by greed, that sees the world consume about 80 billion new pieces of clothing each year.

As I walked
through the streets of Hoi An, I couldn’t help to feel saddened by the chaos of
this city, and the oversupply of suit bags that I saw leaving stores. For all
of my working life, I’ve too often watched and listened to small business
owners struggle with a rapidly changing retail landscape. It’s no secret that
Australia’s rag trade industry is suffering, driven by a myriad of contributing
factors; – heightened competition through the influx of offshore players,
e-commerce, inflating leasing costs, increased lease tenures, a constant of
promotions which has born the ‘sales-driven’ consumer, who better knows than to
ever pay full price. And wait for it, fast-fashion.

Fast-fashion
is the term used for inexpensive trend-driven fashion items that are rapidly
mass-produced by retailers. It’s a multi billion-dollar industry driven by
greed, that sees the world consume about 80
billion new pieces of clothing each year (truecostmovie.com). That’s a 400%
increase in 2 decades, which for more reasons than one, simply isn’t
sustainable.

And despite
the ‘tailoring’ experience in Hoi An being a ‘custom’ experience, I can’t help
to argue that this is indeed fast fashion. For an intricate process to be so
financially accessible, the labour, fabrics and trims (at the very least) needs
to also come cheap. This in turn makes for a short-lived garment because the
wearing performance merely isn’t there. It’s then into landfill and the vicious
cycle repeats itself. Though, whilst the in-store experience may be pleasant as
one is fussed over for few moments, all the while trawling cloth books with a
screenshot of inspiration readily in hand, in order to cheaply replicate the
seasons latest look; there is a lot that goes unsaid. And one hell of a lot, unseen.
Because fashion is ‘glamorous’. It makes us feel good, and perception is
reality and all that bullshit…

Nobody
wants to discuss the harshness of this industry. It’s an uncomfortable conversation
to be had, and is often led by a double edged sword. Companies don’t want to
disclose that for every ‘bargain’ we bag; somebody’s water supply is polluted
with toxic chemical, which in turn sparks its own series of ramifications. Somebody’s
child is growing up without a mother, because she is working hundreds of
kilometres away to earn the most mediocre of wages to feed her family, that she
very rarely sees. For everyday that somebody else turns up to work, their life
is threatened with the unsafe structures of their workplace and so on. We wouldn’t
support this kind of practise in Australia, yet why is it acceptable to
encourage as such offshore?

And it isn’t.
But we simply don’t see it, it doesn’t directly affect us, and therefore it’s
easy to turn a blind eye. These are indeed very real excuses that we’re making
for very real people, who we continue to exploit with every poor vote of our
dollar.

In writing
this entry, I posted an excerpt of my feelings and experiences of Hoi An to social
media, as well instigated some conversations within my circle. It garnered some
interesting viewpoints and unpacked a series of reasons as to why educated,
economically stable individuals and their families weren’t prioritising ethically
sourced fashion. Despite better understanding the implications of not doing so,
their priorities remained local. Supporting our farmers and electing to invest
in experiences that positively influenced a child’s development weighed heavily
for example. And I can’t argue with that. Australia is becoming increasingly
expensive and for as long as fast-fashion continues to afford our families and
their children good nutrition and an education, what will be, will be.

The purpose
of this entry is not at all to place blame, neither suggest that you need never
to purchase a single item of clothing again. Rather, it’s to continue an all
too important conversation that needs to be had more often, without any uncomfortable
feelings associated. It’s not about being ‘green’ or ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, I’m
simply asking that we learn together, improve our consumption habits and foremost
consider ‘who made our clothes?’ For as long as we don’t, the world won’t
change.

There are so many great initiatives that we can engage to better preserve our environment and give clothing the longevity it deserves, as well the vulnerable workers a voice they need. For example, look after your garments and consider cost-per-wear should you be deterred by a price tag that otherwise suggests ‘fair-trade’; support charitable second-hand stores and ethical small business, hold a clothes-swap amongst your friends, hire an outfit, up-cycle, make use of hand-me-downs. Ask yourself, ‘do I really need that?’. Because more often than not, you don’t. With every less piece of clothing that we buy, we stall the merry-go-round that is fast-fashion, and there is a whole lot of thanks to be had.

If you got through until the end, thank you. Ethically sourced fashion and fair-trade operations within this industry is something that I’m incredibly passionate about. There is no reason to discriminate, neither to deny someone the enjoyment of a safe workplace. I absolutely understand that the importance for ethically-sourced fashion is only one of the many urgent topics at hand, yet improving our consumption habits is perhaps one of the easiest actions we can take hold of.

If you’re interested in learning more and understanding which brands to support, Baptist World Aid put together a fantastic fashion report each year that ranks organisations in terms of their contributions to ethical practice. Download the 2019 report here.

And if you’re not too afraid to view the ‘unseen’ harsh realities of the fashion industry, The True Cost Movie is a very real and moving documentary. I’ve no doubt it will pull at your heartstrings and shift your mindset toward a more sustainable future, that we can all enjoy.

I’ve been reading about Eva Palmer Sikelianos recently who was born in New York, lived in Paris but when she met her partner Angelos Sikelianos she threw all her man made couture clothes out of a train window and learnt how to weave on a loom to make her own clothes. She lived in Lefkás at this point so she had plenty of time to do this. Also it being the 1920’s.
Also Frida Kahlo in Mexico wore only traditional clothing but this was in the 1950’s. It seems we very rarely have people that care enough about this to do something about it.

Wow, this is extreme but great for her! I was only recently thinking about all the people who used to weave & sew their clothes, & how clothing was few yet deemed so special. Ie, 1 special outfit for Sunday.
Is this a book? Sounds like a great story.
Thanks so much for reading, really appreciate it ☺️

No but there probably are books on this. I know frida kahlo is enjoying a bit of a renaissance at the moment and since the British museum recently did an exhibition specifically on her clothing there is most likely an accompanying book. Eva Palmer Sikelianos will be more difficult to track down but you may be able to find out something about the techniques the Greeks uses to make there clothes.